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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30086232">who's to say what's impossible?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/call_me_steve/pseuds/call_me_steve'>call_me_steve</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, Green Lantern - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Damian Wayne Feels, Damian Wayne Has a Heart, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Damian Wayne is Robin, Dick Grayson is Batman, Gen, Good Older Sibling Dick Grayson, Good Sibling Dick Grayson, Help, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Dick Grayson, also i literally refuse to write dex starr with a hypen, damian accidentally adopts him lmaooo, damian just likes dex starr idk, deal with it luv &lt;33, dick contemplates morality, he's suspicious of dex starr, off brand video games for copywrites sake, so b is batman but he's overseas, thatll edge into dad dick territory lmaoo, this is set during the beginning of batman incorporated, this started off as a joke n now im 4.4k into it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:55:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,842</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30086232</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/call_me_steve/pseuds/call_me_steve</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Damian!” Dick shouts, skidding out into the hall. He still has his controller in his hand as he yanks open Damian’s door, expecting the worst-</p><p>What he gets is a hole in their wall and a tiny, blue-tinged cat having a stare-down with Damian, who’s still sitting in bed, book resting on his thighs. The cat, for reasons unknown to Dick, is wearing a red and black suit that almost looks like Hal’s in the design. It takes his mind a moment to connect the dots- here, in the room, is a Red Lantern. </p><p>Oh no. </p><p>-</p><p>Or, Dex Starr crash lands into Damian's room on a Friday night. Everything spirals from there.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Damian Wayne &amp; Dex-Starr, Dick Grayson &amp; Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson &amp; Dex-Starr</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>185</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>alternatively titled: how to train your angry magic space cat: a guide by damian wayne</p><p>anyway shoutout to ailuro who told our friend abt hal and spurred this &lt;33 ur a real one </p><p>tumblr: <a href="https://potato-reblob.tumblr.com/">potato-reblob</a></p><p>fic title from jack johnson's upside down.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Dick’s sitting out on the couch in the penthouse, debating on whether or not he can drag Damian into his game of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Duty Calls,</span>
  </em>
  <span> when it happens. If he’s being honest with himself, he’s got a pretty good argument stacked up: video games like this one help with hand-eye coordination </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> train your brain against unpredictable opponents. Or something like that. He’s tempted to pull up the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Zombie’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> edition, too, just to see if he and Damian can actually beat Tim’s record. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, he still hasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>asked</span>
  </em>
  <span> yet. Right now, he’s just running through a mission in campaign mode- he’s supposed to be sneaking through an enemy base or something, he’s not really paying attention. Damian’s over in his room, headphones tucked into his ears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever he’s doing, it’s quiet. Dick can’t hear a single thing through the walls; but, he imagines that Damian’s probably sitting at the windowsill, sketchpad in his lap. Or he’s at the easel, carefully pulling his brush across the canvas. Maybe he’s even on his bed, reading one of those books that have Jason’s, Bruce’s, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> Alfred’s handwriting lodged in the margins. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Either way- he’s doing something </span>
  <em>
    <span>productive</span>
  </em>
  <span> at least. Not like Dick, who’s avoiding paperwork for Wayne Enterprises. He’ll get it all done eventually- or Lucius would show up and get on his case- but. Right now it’s video game time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Self care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay, so: he’s debating whether he should ask Damian to join him in this game or if he should pull something up that’s a little less violent. Damian would probably like </span>
  <em>
    <span>Crafter’s Mine.</span>
  </em>
  <span> (Would he be a good builder? Would he collect all the animals he could? Would he, instead, fall down into the mines and come out with stacks of diamonds?) </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as he goes to save his game, to switch or just to pull up multiplayer he has no idea, he hears a </span>
  <em>
    <span>crash!</span>
  </em>
  <span> ring out through the penthouse. In seconds, Dick leaps to his feet, heart thudding. Three seconds ago, he’d been relaxed- now, he’s kicking into Nightwing-mode. (Batman-mode, now?) </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t hear another sound follow- no yelp from Damian or any sort of threat of bodily harm. It’s a good sign, but Dick still can’t help but imagine that </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> has happened to him. What if the crash rendered Damian unconscious? What if-?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damian!” Dick shouts, skidding out into the hall. He still has his controller in his hand as he yanks open Damian’s door, expecting the worst-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he gets is a hole in their wall and a tiny, blue-tinged cat having a stare-down with Damian, who’s still sitting in bed, book resting on his thighs. The cat, for reasons unknown to Dick, is wearing a red and black suit that almost looks like Hal’s in the design. It takes his mind a moment to connect the dots- here, in the room, is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Red Lantern.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When Dick had yanked open the door, it had ended up slamming into the wall. Yet, even that hadn’t spurred Damian and the cat out of their staring contest. Both of them have furrowed brows and disgruntled expressions on their faces- expressions that, when Dick actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>takes</span>
  </em>
  <span> a moment to register, almost look the exact same. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The cat arches its back, fur standing on end. It bares its teeth and hisses. Damian snarls right back, not yet putting down or closing his book. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Grayson,” he says. “There is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>cat</span>
  </em>
  <span> in my room.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Dick breathes out, feeling like he’d just run a marathon. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dick closes his eyes and tries to conjure up any semblance of a recollection regarding this cat. Hal, during one of his many visits to the manor prior to Bruce’s whole “time stream” ordeal, </span>
  <em>
    <span>must</span>
  </em>
  <span> have referenced a Red Lantern that took the form of a violent cat. There was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>corgi,</span>
  </em>
  <span> if he’s right- </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there was Dex Starr.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What the hell is </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dex Starr</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing in their house? How did he even </span>
  <em>
    <span>get </span>
  </em>
  <span>here? And why is he just </span>
  <em>
    <span>staring at Damian</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>letting</span>
  </em>
  <span> Damian stare </span>
  <em>
    <span>back?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>This is the most frightening staring contest Dick thinks he’s ever been in the presence of, and there was once a time when Tim stared down </span>
  <em>
    <span>Poison Ivy</span>
  </em>
  <span> of all people. Not even in costume. Just as Tim Drake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he </span>
  <em>
    <span>won.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Damian, quit </span>
  <em>
    <span>staring</span>
  </em>
  <span> at him,” Dick hisses, when he opens his eyes. Dex Starr’s starting to get more tense, rising his hind legs and sinking his front, preparing to pounce at any moment. His tail waggles, his teeth shine- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, I’m so not ready for this.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll quit when </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> quits.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick has heard stories about Dex Starr and the other Red Lanterns. They’re as vicious as they come and he’s worried that when Dex Starr pounces, not even Damian will be able to hold him off. In preparation for that moment, Dick prepares to leap all the same. For now, he doesn’t move a single muscle- it’s best not to irritate Dex Starr any more than he already is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s pretty sure that his orders are going unheard. Damian’s not going to back down from this… display of dominance or whatever it is. God, why did he get stuck with the weirdest little kid? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seems like they stay in that standstill for </span>
  <em>
    <span>hours.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Damian doesn’t blink and neither does Dex Starr. Dick, who isn’t in the contest, </span>
  <em>
    <span>feels</span>
  </em>
  <span> like he doesn’t blink. Time is frozen and all he can feel is the pounding in his chest. This is an absolutely terrible idea, but the cat hasn’t lunged and Damian’s still alright, but what happens when the kid </span>
  <em>
    <span>blinks-?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick prepares himself for it. The second Damian blinks, Dex Starr will lunge for his face. Dick can’t let that happen to his kid, no matter how weird he can be. (Seriously, what ten year old sees a deadly cat crash into their room and decides to stare it down?) </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then, against all odds, the unthinkable happens. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dex Starr </span>
  <em>
    <span>blinks.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dick nearly lets out a hysterical laugh as Dex Starr relaxes, admitting defeat. He still has that scowl lining his face, however hidden by fluff and fur it is, but Dick doesn’t feel like he still has reason to worry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, up until Dex Starr does something even </span>
  <em>
    <span>weirder.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He trails across the floor, tail lazily swinging as he goes. When he draws close to the bed, he leaps atop it. Damian gives him a wary look as Dex Starr settles in beside Damian’s hip- and that’s all that happens. Damian turns his gaze back to his book and Dex Starr rests his head on his paws. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You may want to let Pennyworth know about the hole in the wall,” Damian comments, flipping to the next page. He reaches down one hand and strokes Dex Starr’s back. Dex Starr lets out a noise and it sounds curiously close to a purr. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick knows Damian’s tone as well as he knows Bruce’s own version of it. “Hey, hey, hey- You’re not dismissing me right now. Not after whatever </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> was?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>not notice</span>
  </em>
  <span> the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Red Lantern</span>
  </em>
  <span> you’re- </span>
  <em>
    <span>cuddling</span>
  </em>
  <span> with?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damian’s face blazes red in seconds, painting his skin a darker shade. “We are not </span>
  <em>
    <span>cuddling- </span>
  </em>
  <span>That isn’t-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dex Starr mewls venomously. Dick doesn’t bite down on his laugh this time- it’d almost sounded like Dex Starr was </span>
  <em>
    <span>offended.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” says Dick. “If </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> gets cuddles, then so do I.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?! </span>
  <em>
    <span>No-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“After</span>
  </em>
  <span> I hook up the console in here. Have you ever played </span>
  <em>
    <span>Crafter’s Mine?”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dick doesn’t wait for Damian’s refusal. Instead, he slips right out the door, pulling out his phone. He shoots Alfred a quick text about the hole in the wall as he saves his game. Once that’s done, he safely powers off the console and unplugs all of the cords connecting it to the TV. He’ll have to bring that in, too- Damian is, quite possibly, one of the only ten year olds who has </span>
  <em>
    <span>refused</span>
  </em>
  <span> to have a TV in his room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While he’s out of the room, he takes a moment to process </span>
  <em>
    <span>what the hell</span>
  </em>
  <span> he just saw. Dex Starr crash landed into the penthouse. Instead of attacking him, Damian just </span>
  <em>
    <span>stared </span>
  </em>
  <span>at him, as though he couldn’t bother to waste his breath. Somehow it’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>worked.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dex Starr </span>
  <em>
    <span>lost</span>
  </em>
  <span> the staring contest and, what- realized that Damian was a worthy ally, or something? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last thing Dick wanted was for Damian to ally with a Red Lantern. He’d heard stories about them- whereas the green ring was powered by willpower, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>red</span>
  </em>
  <span> ring was powered by ungodly amounts of rage. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe they’re perfect for each other,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he muses, trying to figure out the best way to move the TV. It’s one of those big ones that rests on the wall- maybe it’d be better if he just grabbed the one in his room, that sat on his dresser. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Angry little shits, the both of them.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>No- that was mean. Damian was </span>
  <em>
    <span>so much more</span>
  </em>
  <span> than angry. (Little was a different story.) Damian cared for animals and the birds that happened upon their balcony; he set out food for the strays; he smiled at Dick with his sweet, subtle grin; he </span>
  <em>
    <span>worried</span>
  </em>
  <span> about Dick, whether because he’d been awake for too long or just starting to drag. Damian was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> good kid. Dick was extremely lucky to have him- even if the circumstances leading up to it had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> less than stellar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was what Damian needed a murderous cat? Would that </span>
  <em>
    <span>help</span>
  </em>
  <span> him? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or did Dex Starr have ulterior motives? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick tried to console himself. Damian could take care of himself just fine and there was hardly a moment where he and Dick were separated. If Dex Starr tried anything, Dick would be there. If he didn’t, then- </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe this would be beneficial to the both of them. And, besides- of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course</span>
  </em>
  <span> the kid who grew up in a violent setting would ultimately find a cat who reflected just that. Damian was no normal kid and Dex Starr was no normal cat. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Please don’t let me be making a big mistake,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dick begs, as he heads for his room. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please let me keep this kid safe.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dick nearly tears the TV’s plug out of the wall before he tucks it under his arm. His console and the controllers piled in the other arm, he turns back to Damian’s room. For a moment, he stands outside of it, trying to listen for </span>
  <em>
    <span>something-</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He hears turning pages and a quiet voice. He hears- </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hears Damian reading, quietly, to Dex Starr. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>God, what did Dick </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> to deserve such a kid; a kid who reads to bloodthirsty cats; a kid who probably is only reading to him because no one read to </span>
  <em>
    <span>him-?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dex Starr became a Red Lantern for a reason- one that Dick doesn’t know. He’d once heard Hal reference the fact that most Red Lanterns were born out of grief and an overwhelming need for revenge; what were the circumstances that lead to him getting that fateful ring? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was Dick unjustly blaming Dex Starr- unjustly fearing that he’ll hurt Damian for no reason at all? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His gut churned. Without a second thought, Dick set all of the gaming supplies and electronics outside Damian’s door and headed off for the kitchen. He’d make them dinner and give Damian a bit of time to sit with Dex Starr. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d give </span>
  <em>
    <span>himself</span>
  </em>
  <span> a bit of time to figure all of this out. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>cw for food &amp; sort-of stereotyping (dick's just worried bc dex starr is a red lantern)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Dick had, originally, been thinking that Dex Starr would stick around for no more than a </span>
  <em>
    <span>day</span>
  </em>
  <span> at most. He’d monopolize on Damian’s time for a few hours and then leave. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> was how it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>supposed</span>
  </em>
  <span> to go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Dick had finally decided to encroach on Damian’s space- about the same time as the delivery guy left after having delivered their dinner- he was starting to realize that Dex Starr wasn’t going to leave. He sat there on the bed like he owned it, head held regaly high. When Damian absentmindedly pet him, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>purred.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Like an actual </span>
  <em>
    <span>cat.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick found his eyes narrowing repeatedly, skeptical of whatever the little furball was planning. Then he’d feel bad about it; who was to say that Dex Starr actually had ill-will towards them? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the end, Dick had just claimed that Damian couldn’t possibly stay in his room overnight with the hole in the wall. He set himself up on the couch and gave Damian his bed, taking vicious satisfaction in how mad Dex Starr looked when he was abandoned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad of him, but- oh, who is he kidding? There’s no defense for this. Dick’s pissed off because of a </span>
  <em>
    <span>cat.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Well, a strange, magical cat aligned with the villains, but. A cat. Really. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before switching up the sleeping arrangements, Dick had sat in Damian’s bed with him as he taught his brother to play </span>
  <em>
    <span>Crafter’s Mine.</span>
  </em>
  <span> They tried to do a speedrun once Damian had gotten the hang of it- it had taken them a few hours to actually make it to the End and at that point, Damian had been about to drop like a fly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll build something cool tomorrow,” Dick had promised, once they hashed out their plan for the night. They weren’t going on patrol, given that Red Robin and Spoiler were both in town, and tomorrow wasn’t a school day- it was a blessed Saturday, meant to be spent lying lazily in bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meant to be spent with his little brother, basking in each other’s silence. Meant to be spent with </span>
  <em>
    <span>only</span>
  </em>
  <span> his little brother- and Tim if he decided to stop by- not with a blue furred </span>
  <em>
    <span>cat.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>(It’s not like it mattered if Dex Starr stuck around- the cat ended up vanishing sometime between when they started making plans for where they’d sleep and when they tucked into bed. A few hours later, a weight had appeared beside Dick as he floated in and out of consciousness- Damian, not Dex Starr, seeking him out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick ended up sleeping in his bed, rather than the couch, Damian’s hand clasped in his.) </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick knows his… </span>
  <em>
    <span>opinion</span>
  </em>
  <span> on Dex Starr might be teetering into something a little like jealousy. Or- might </span>
  <em>
    <span>seem</span>
  </em>
  <span> like it is. Dick’s not jealous- he’s not an inherently jealous person, either. Damian deserves good things, even if those good things come in the form of weird cats that are possibly inherently dangerous to his well being. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That doesn’t sound quite right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The truth of it is, Dick’s just </span>
  <em>
    <span>worried</span>
  </em>
  <span> for his kid brother. He’s not sure whether or not having Dex Starr around will be good for him- doesn’t know if Dex Starr will be a good </span>
  <em>
    <span>influence.</span>
  </em>
  <span> All he knows about Dex Starr is that he’s one of those vicious Red Lanterns. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That’s not enough to be forming an actual opinion as of yet, he knows. He’s just worried. That’s it. He just cares about Damian, and Lord knows the kid could use more of that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But- back on track. When Dick wakes up on Saturday, he almost doesn’t want to get up. A lazy morning spent with his little brother, watching a movie on the TV he’d hooked back up- that sounded </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Yet, breakfast. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick slips up and out of bed, heading for the kitchen. Damian still isn’t awake, oddly enough- he’s been learning to sleep in a little more, as time passes; it’s far better than having him get up at five in the morning, only to glare as Dick trudges out of bed around ten. Though, when Dick catches a glimpse of the clock, he winces. Seven am- a horrible time to be awake by.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not a single thought is spared on Dex Starr as he gets to making waffles. He grinds up some oats in order to make oat flour, then uses it to supplement half of the required real flour. Of course, the healthy twist doesn’t keep him from adding some chocolate chips to a few of them- as much as Damian favors healthy foods, the kid needs a bit more sugar to light up his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pleased to not have burnt any, Dick sets water on the stove-top to boil. He pulls out two plates, setting them onto the counter-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that’s when he sees Dex Starr, slinking across the polished counter-tops. He just barely suppresses his groan, upon seeing that his Red Lantern outfit has disappeared, leaving a completely normal looking cat- (at least, if cats were normally blue). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t suppose you’re hungry?” Dick asks. Dex Starr hasn’t actually done anything yet, so there’s no need to be a pissy host. “Do you want some waffles?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Can you even </span>
  <em>
    <span>feed</span>
  </em>
  <span> cats waffles? No, better question- what do intergalactic space-cats </span>
  <em>
    <span>eat?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dex Starr meows and Dick shrugs, pulling out a third plate. He piles two waffles onto it, sans syrup, and then moves the water off of the stove. With that, he fills up two mugs and tears open some hot chocolate packets, pouring the powder in. He mixes his but only drops a spoon into Damian’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the mugs, the filled plates, and the syrup- along with frozen blueberries and raspberries- Dick heads back to his room. He spares only a second to see if Dex Starr’s eating; something relaxes, minutely, in him when he realizes he is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wakey, wakey, Dames,” Dick calls, pushing open the bedroom door with his hip. It’s nearing eight, now- Damian should be rousing soon enough, if not when Dick calls. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There we go,</span>
  </em>
  <span> thinks Dick, when he catches Damian blearily raising his head. His hair is a mess and his eyes are squinting against the light; part of Dick aches, a little- he should have let Damian sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning, bud. Sorry to wake you.” He strides across the room, setting the tray of food onto his bedside table. He crawls back beneath the covers, only startling slightly when Damian drops his head onto Dick’s lap. Damian’s been getting more touchy, lately- but it’s not like Dick’s complaining. He only hopes that when Bruce finally wraps up his whole </span>
  <em>
    <span>Batman Incorporated</span>
  </em>
  <span> shtick, he won’t drive Damian into a regression. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick cards his fingers through Damian’s hair. He doesn’t point out the food just yet; he only leans back against the headboard, reaching for the TV remote. They throw up <em>Up</em><em>wards</em></span>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>and around the time that Ian and Barley set out for their adventure, Damian finally sits up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You hungry?” Dick asks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damian hums, shrugging with one shoulder. Dick reaches for the tray and balances it where Damian’s head had been, carefully pushing Damian’s food to one side. Thankfully, all of it’s still warm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Around the time that they’re in the middle of eating, Dick finally speaks up about the elephant in the room. “Dex Starr seems to like you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rather than saying anything, Damian peers at Dick out of the corner of his eye. He brings his mug up to his lips- it’s one that’s covered in Shakespeare insults; one Dick knew Jason would have adored. </span>
  <em>
    <span>(Don’t think about that, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he reminds himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t think about how he’s back and not even here.)</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, bud- I-” Dick wraps his hands around his own mug. “You know what a Red Lantern is, right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damian clicks his tongue at this. “Of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course</span>
  </em>
  <span> I do. I’m not incompetent, Grayson.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not saying you are. I just want to make sure you know what Dex Starr is.” When Damian, again, doesn’t dignify that with a response, Dick continues, “Do you want him to stay?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Damian sits in silence, this time, Dick doesn’t try to talk. He gives Damian some time to mull over what he wants to say and how he wants to say it. Whatever Damian’s answer, it’s clear that it means a lot to him. Even so, it takes him a few tries to even </span>
  <em>
    <span>say</span>
  </em>
  <span> anything. He opens his mouth and then closes it, looking unsure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finally settles on, “Attachments are futile and unnecessary.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick’s lips pull into a frown. “Hey- it’s okay to be attached to him, Dames. That’s not the problem here. Hell- you can be attached to anyone you want, as long as they’re not hurting you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m attached to you,” Dick says. “Is that such a bad thing?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damian ducks his head down. His voice comes out tense, as if Dick misunderstood or like he couldn’t quite word what he wanted to say. “No- it’s just- he’d be a </span>
  <em>
    <span>pet.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Pets aren’t a problem, Damian. Bruce </span>
  <em>
    <span>loves</span>
  </em>
  <span> pets- he had a dog named Ace for a while, when I was little.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Somehow, that’s the wrong thing to say. Damian’s shoulders hike up and his fingers go white around the mug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He isn’t a </span>
  <em>
    <span>pet,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he grinds out. “He’s-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh- it wasn’t the wrong thing to </span>
  <em>
    <span>say,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dick had just misunderstood, like he’d thought. Damian isn’t trying to argue that he shouldn’t have a pet for previous misconceptions brought by his childhood rearing- he’s not even trying to argue that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> have one. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All he’s trying to say is that Dex Starr isn’t some random animal. He’s not a </span>
  <em>
    <span>pet</span>
  </em>
  <span> who can be owned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay- we don’t have to keep him around as a pet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep him around.” Dick holds up his arm and carefully snakes it around Damian’s shoulders, giving him the chance to pull away if he doesn’t want it. The kid submits, sinking into Dick’s side. “Do you want him to stay?” he asks, again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damian nods against his ribs. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Guess we’ve got a new roommate.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Can I ask </span>
  <em>
    <span>why?”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t like him,” Damian states, plainly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Red Lantern.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I don’t want you getting hurt.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can take care of myself.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick has no doubt about that- that’s pretty much the only reason why he let Damian sit and read to Dex Starr without interfering. “I know that- I </span>
  <em>
    <span>trust</span>
  </em>
  <span> you enough to say that- if you want him to stay- he can stay.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A beat passes- one in which Dick closes his eyes and pulls in a long breath. When the beat ends, Damian speaks up once more. His voice is so quiet, Dick almost doesn’t even realize when he starts. “He’s like me,” Damian explains. “I want to give him a chance.” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Like you did for me.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dick rubs his hand up and down against Damian’s opposite forearm. Damian has a point, though he didn’t use it in the way Dick’s thinking- Dick should give Dex Starr a chance. He’s been too brash, immediately locking Dex Starr into a single box: Dangerous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dick had done that, once, to Damian too- and if he’s gotten this far, to the point where Damian means the </span>
  <em>
    <span>world </span>
  </em>
  <span>to him, then he can start making those same steps with Dex Starr. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if the cat won’t ever become Dick’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he can become </span>
  <em>
    <span>something;</span>
  </em>
  <span> just like the cat has become for Damian. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can at least </span>
  <em>
    <span>try.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i will. try to update every tuesday? maybe wednesday idk. i'm tired lmao</p></blockquote></div></div>
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